Welp, it’s the season finale, so you know what that means: it’s time to confront Marie’s parents once and for all. As I watch this go down, I can’t help but wonder again how a supposedly great woman like Sasha could enable such a pathetic son. I mean, look… sometimes, kids just end up rotten despite your best efforts. It happens. The problem, however, is that he still ended up with his title and wealth. And this title isn’t just an honorary thing. He gets to rule over a parcel of land and the people who live on it. That’s a serious responsibility! How could she let this happen? If I knew my kid was such a loser, I would make damn sure he wasn’t in any position to potentially ruin other people’s lives. At the very least, I would get my precious grandchildren as far away from their loathsome parents as possible. Even if the law dictates that he should inherit everything, it should’ve been her moral imperative to expose her son. I don’t care if this would’ve brought shame to the family, because if shame is more important than the people beneath you, then you’re unfit to rule. We know Sasha didn’t fail to notice her son’s complete ineptitude. The baron says it himself! She never had any hopes or expectations of him. She knew he was a complete dud. Sasha even wrote a whole damn journal to complain about her son and daughter-in-law. And yet she didn’t do a damn thing about either of them. Everyone keeps singing her praises, but y’know what? I don’t buy it.
Nevertheless, Marie and Kyros are merciful to the baron for some damn reason. If he’s willing to apologize to his daughter, then he’ll get to keep his title and estate. Oh, someone else will handle the day-to-day affairs of governance, but he won’t be completely ruined. And y’know what? That’s not justice. I mean, c’mon, an apology is enough to hide his crimes? The apology doesn’t even include the people living on his land! It’s just an apology to Marie! For fuck’s sake, as a citizen, I would be incensed. This is why I always cringe whenever I watch stories featuring members of royalty and the nobility. They’re just so out-of-touch.
The baroness then jumps in and tries to defend her hapless husband. So what’s the mom’s deal anyway? Why does she have such a hate boner for Marie? Well, her story might actually be a little more tragic. It turns out she has red hair herself. She seems to have been ostracized for not just that but her height as well. Of course, none of this justifies abusing your daughter, but I have a little more sympathy for her than either her husband or Sasha.
After the sisters have said everything they’ve been holding in all this time, it’s time to punish the Shaderans. Kinda. Barely. Cedric will attend school in order to become the next lord, so in a way, the family legacy continues. I like how we just assume he’ll be fit to rule. Should anyone else take over? Nah. As for the father, he gets to stick around as Cedric’s valet. This might be extremely humiliating for a former lord, but it’s not enough for me. He should be in jail. What a pathetic punishment. Finally, the mom shuts herself away from, well, everyone apparently. What? Even her son? No love lost there, I suppose. Have they not invented therapy in this universe? Guess not. And with all the loose ends tied up, Marie and Kyros can finally get married.
If it were me, I still wouldn’t have bothered to confront the Shaderans. There’s something to be said about learning how to simply walk away. You don’t always have to confront the toxicity in your life. Sometimes, it’s actually better if you don’t. A lot of people will never learn from their mistakes. There’s always someone to blame, some new excuse to trot out. Even worse, they might lash out violently when cornered. But this is fantasy; this is a story where a girl gets to marry her prince so everything works out. All those conversations Marie rehearsed in the shower finally get to see the light of day, and I’m sure it must have felt absolutely cathartic to unleash all those pent-up feelings on her parents. Well, much like therapy, they probably don’t have showers in this universe either…
Final thoughts? Uh, it’s watchable? I don’t like abuse victims jumping head first into a relationship. I also don’t like how they dealt with the Shaderans. But even ignoring all of that, there’s nothing special here. No stand-out characters or performance. The animation and soundtrack are merely serviceable. It’s a forgettable show that I only started covering in order to fill a gap in my schedule.
Stray thoughts & observations:
- Jesus, did they just murder that old lady?
- When Marie’s father refuses to come out of hiding, Kyros sends Mio in to apprehend the the baron. We could learn a thing or two from anime. We should just replace our cops with a squadron of battle maids.
- The sparkles here are a bit much. I mean, sure, she’s brimming with confidence, and she’s about to drop the hammer on her horrible parents. But good lord, this scene made me laugh.
- Oh, Cedric loves his big sis. It’s amazing how the siblings all love and support each other despite their upbringing. It’s definitely nature over nurture in this universe.
- Kyros is an unserious man.
- Norman finally learns that his apprentice is actually a girl. All of a sudden, he’s not throwing a shit fit about it. Sure, old dogs can still learn new tricks, but when it happens near the end of the very last episode, it feels like we’re just trying to wrap things up as neatly as possible rather than developing the character organically.
- It’s really nature over nurture, because even the kid brother has game.
- Luiphon seems to be taking an inordinate amount of interest in Anastasia. Sometimes, stories feel the need to pair everyone up, which is an impulse I find silly.
